Page 25 of Where You Belong

“Haelynn,” Madelyn sings, shooting out of her lawn chair. They’re in a circle around the bonfire pit with coolers positioned between them like makeshift tables.

She waves at Huxton as he zooms past her. She takes off after him before spinning around, waving at me again.

“You don’t have to worry about him. Layla brought her daughter, and Brit brought the twins with her. He’ll have a great time.”

I spot Corbin behind her, standing with a group of guys. I try to play it cool and not stare too hard. I swear I can feel his eyes roaming every inch of my body.

I recognize Alex among the group, but the other guy is new to me. He has a light stubble lining his jaw, and his eyes are dark. You can tell he’s not someone to be messed with, and I’m not sure what to make of him.

When my eyes meet Corbin, he flashes me a wink before letting his gaze trail down my legs, pausing before finally meeting mine again. He subtly rakes his teeth over his lower lip.

I’m terrible at reading lips, but I swear he just muttered, “Fuck,” under his breath.

“Grab a drink and join us.” Madelyn slides her arm in mine, leading me to one of the larger coolers.

While we’re walking, Madelyn makes conversation. “I went into the office to finish editing the photos this morning. I’m so excited for you to see the final product. I think you’ll love them.”

I don’t doubt I will. I’ve been dying to sneak a peek, curious how they turned out. Madelyn offered to let me see them unedited, but I told her I wanted to wait, and she could surprise me.

She’s incredibly talented behind the camera. Word has started to swirl about her skills, and business has been picking up at the studio. It’s only the beginning, and things will take off for her before we know it. I can just feel it.

The mention of the photo shoot has me giving in, peering over my shoulder to where Corbin is standing. He notices me eyeing him and heads our way. Alex and Mr. Serious follow him.

“You made it.” Corbin grins, slipping past Madelyn to greet me. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a friendly hug. Madelyn’s brows shoot up, and her eyes gleam with pride at her matchmaking skills.

Corbin leans in near my ear and whispers, “You look beautiful.”

“I’ll grab you a drink.” Madelyn chuckles, motioning to hers that she needs another.

Corbin does a round of introductions, including Mr. Serious, whose name is Gage. It isn’t until Corbin mentions my name that I notice his demeanor change. He tilts his head, and his gaze looks through me as if triggering a memory, but he’s not quite sure where to place me.

Except I don’t recognize him at all.

“Madelyn mentioned you just moved across the street from her…” Gage asks. His tone is flat, devoid of any emotion.

Corbin’s body goes stiff. He’s drinking his beer and pauses his hand midair, seemingly confused by Gage’s mood.

“Yes,” I respond before biting the inside of my cheek.

“What made you decide to settle down in Arbor Creek exactly?”

“My mom is from here originally, and it seemed like a good place to raise my son.”

“Your mom?” he questions, raising his brows. I’m confused where he’s going with this.

Corbin jabs him on the arm. “Dude, what’s your deal?”

“Nothin’ man. I’m simply curious about who she is and why she’s all I hear about all of a sudden.”

“Why don’t you chill a bit?” Corbin pushes Gage back, muttering under his breath to go grab a beer.

My face turns red in embarrassment. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the condescending air to his questioning. Almost as if he felt like I wasn’t good enough to be among them, and I couldn’t think of the slightest reason.

Who is he to judge me or question my intentions? He doesn’t know anything about me.

Madelyn hands me a bottle of water, knowing me well enough to know I wouldn’t be interested in drinking with Huxton there. I take a step back from the group, my eyes moving to where Huxton’s running toward the sprinkler. You could spot his beaming smile from a mile away.

“I’m going to run across the street quick to grab Huxton a towel and a change of clothes.” My eyes do a quick scan around the group. Brit and Layla, both smile, reassuring me they’ll keep an eye on him for me.

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